Jonny Lee Miller on Joining ‘The Crown’ Season 5 as Prime Minister John Major [Interview]

Jonny Lee Miller had a different kind of experience in the nineties than the man he portrays in The Crown Season 5, but the actor found he shared a lot of similarities with the politician.

Miller joined cast members Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce, Lesley Manville, Dominic West, and Elizabeth Debicki for a virtual press conference on the eve of The Crown Season 5 premiere to talk about his role as Prime Minister John Major.

“I’m really excited. I don’t do many fancy events,” Miller joked. “It’s nice to see everyone because, spoiler alert: John Major isn’t in Season 6.”

It was a working week for the rest of the cast as filming of Season 6 is well underway. 

Major succeeded Margaret Thatcher whose 11 years as Great Britain’s Prime Minister were featured on The Crown Season 4. Season 5 spans Major’s time in office from 1990 to 1997. Miller said he was “thrilled” to be a part of the award-winning series. 

“When you’re asked to be on a show that’s so expertly done on all levels — it’s high, high caliber across the board in all departments — you’re just happy to be asked,” the actor stated.

He spoke about what he knew of the politician before taking on the role. “I grew up in a very socialist household, very left-wing. I’m pretty lefty,” declared Miller. “As a youngster at the time, we thought we knew who John Major was, what he was all about.”

Research brought new insights for Miller. “We have a lot of similarities,” he said. “We are from the same part of the world — he’s from Worcester Park and I’m from Kingston. We both went to state grammar schools. We had theatrical parents. I had all these things in common.”

“The more I learned about the work that he did, my respect grew for him massively,” Miller said.

“That’s what anyone is trying to do, you’re trying to inhabit them, sort of fall in love with them. It’s always a fascinating journey,” he described, adding, “Especially with someone who I think was misunderstood, and who I respect greatly.”

Panel moderator Edith Bowman, host of The Crown: The Official Podcast, asked the cast to recall their own memories of the decade—to which Miller responded by laughing, “You don’t wanna know.”

Dominic West, who plays the heir to the throne, teased, “All I remember is Jonny on screen.”

The actor starred in Hackers in 1995, and followed up with a memorable performance in Danny Boyle’s groundbreaking film, Trainspotting. “That was my decade,” Miller said. He continued to joke: “It was downhill from there. Then a little bit up and then a little bit down.”

As for John Major in the ’90s, there were ups and downs when dealing with the Queen (Imelda Staunton) as portrayed throughout Season 5.

Previously, the role of Prime Minister on The Crown has resulted in awards and critical acclaim for both John Lithgow and Gillian Anderson — Lithgow as the revered Winston Churchill and Anderson as controversial Margaret Thatcher on Season 4. 

Be prepared to add Jonny Lee Miller as John Major to that esteemed list. 

The Crown Season 5 is streaming on Netflix.

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